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Pentek has introduced a family of rugged software radio modules with two of the company's GateFlow FPGA IP cores installed in its recently introduced model 7141 dual channel 125 MHz 14-bit A/D and 500 MHz 16-bit D/A transceiver. As an added benefit the end user is completely free from any FPGA development tasks, because the IP cores are pre-installed. Pentek's 7141-420 and 7141-430, the first modules in this new family, transform the 7141 into two distinct and highly integrated products addressing a diverse range of applications.

"The speed, accuracy and enhanced dynamic range of the 7141 set it apart from other PMC products in the market," says Rodger Hosking, vice president of Pentek. "By developing these new installed cores, Pentek engineers not only extended both upper and lower ranges of transceiver signal bandwidths, but also boosted the number of receivers to 512 channels in a single slot."

The new 7141-420 and 7141-430 are available in conduction-cooled versions to handle rugged applications in aircraft, UAVs, torpedoes and other severe environments of temperature, shock, vibration and altitude."

The 7141-420 extends the bandwidth range of both the digital upconverters (DUCs) and digital downconverters (DDCs) from very narrow to very wide. For example, compared to the previous DDC decimation range of 32 to 16,384 without the core, the decimation now extends from 2 (for bandwidths up to 50 MHz) to 1,048,576 (for audio bandwidths). This satisfies an increasing demand to monitor a diverse range of signal classes.

Whereas the 7141-430 core provides a large number of relatively narrowband channels. This is of immense value to customers who need a high-density receiver in an unusually small space. The 7141-430 is said to be far more physically dense than any competitive product currently on the market. For example, two 7141-430 modules support 512 receive channels in a single 6U VME or cPCI slot.

These modules are also available in a variety of form factors, including PCI, 3U and 6U cPCI, as well as a conduction-cooled PMC version. Linux and VxWorks drivers are available for the 7141-420. Windows drivers are available for the 7141-430 and Linux drivers will be available for this module in the future.

Pricing for the model 7141-420 begins at $12,995, and pricing for the model 7141-430 starts at $11,995. Delivery is 8 to 10 weeks ARO.